Aoko's cybercrime case resumes at Milimani Law Courts

Social media influencer Maverick Aoko Otieno appears before Magistrate Dolphina Alego at the Milimani Law Courts on June 26, 2025

The hearing of the case against social media influencer Scophine Aoko Otieno, alias Maverick Aoko, resumed on June 26, 2025, before Magistrate Dolphina Alego at the Milimani Law Courts.

Testifying in court, Sergeant Norah Shidi said that on August 16, 2024, she and Chief Inspector Patience Mungero were instructed to execute an arrest along Gatanga Road.

Shidi told the court they were acting on a miscellaneous application file E2737/2024, which permitted a search at Aoko’s residence.

During the search, officers recovered several electronic items, including a Huawei phone, a black phone with a broken screen, a Dell laptop, and a red and black flash disk.

"We prepared an inventory of the recovered items. These items were then taken for investigation," Shidi testified.

She said Aoko was arrested and taken to the DCI headquarters, where she was handed over to the investigating officer.

“We showed her the arrest warrant and informed her of the reason for her arrest. She signed,” Shidi said.

She added that officers requested Aoko to open her phone to retrieve the IMEI number to aid the investigation.

Shidi noted that the items found in the house were believed to belong to Aoko.

During cross-examination, defence lawyer Kennedy Echesa questioned the legality of the arrest and the manner in which the search was conducted.

Echesa argued that accessing the phone to retrieve the IMEI number may have violated Aoko's right to privacy.

He also questioned whether the officers had proper authority, stating that the warrant allowed only Chief Inspector Nixon Kinyua, or someone authorised by him, to conduct the arrest.

"Norah Shidi was not given such instructions and therefore acted outside the scope of the court order,” Echesa argued.

Shidi admitted she did not sign any inventory when handing over the items to the investigating officer.

She also confirmed that the warrant was not presented to Aoko until after they had entered the residence.

When asked if she had proof that the recovered items belonged to Aoko, Shidi told the court she did not.

Shidi further acknowledged that the arrest was not conducted by the officer named in the court order.

Chief Inspector Nixon Kinyua, present in court, confirmed he is among the lead investigators in the cybercrime case.

He listed the key prosecution witnesses as Sergeant Shidi, a digital forensic expert, and Jimal Ibrahim Hassan.

The court heard that the case had experienced multiple adjournments due to the absence of witnesses.

The defence applied for the matter to be closed, accusing the prosecution of delaying the proceedings.

“It is unfair to punish the accused due to delays. The investigating officer should proceed with the statements to allow the prosecution to present its case so the court can determine whether the accused has a case to answer,” said defence lawyer Anyena.

Aoko was in 2024 charged with publishing false information on her 'X' social media handle.

She also faced two additional counts relating to cyber harassment and alleged misuse of electronic data.

The state alleges that on August 3, Aoko published information relating to certain individuals, which it claims was intended to cause fear and harm reputations.

Aoko pleaded not guilty and was released on a cash bail of Sh100,000.